Summary: While interning at the Planetarium this summer, a lot of people had asked about what will will happen when the magnetic poles of the sun flip in a few months. The mainstream media, we found, had been once again stirring things up like it would be huge. This would be true if we were talking about Earth's magnetic field reversing, but not so much with the sun. As stated in the article, it is a very regular occurrence, about once every 11 years. It will be a gradual change with the magnetic field slowly fading to zero and then reversing directions. Any impact this has on Earth would be as a result of the shifting heliosphere. It may temporarily disrupt telecommunications while at the same time shielding the satellites from harmful cosmic rays. All in all, nothing to worry about.
Smithsonian Mag
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